Language And Feeling Of Being Left Out Led To Birth Of Bus Line

MIAMI — Almost 30 years ago, Cuban exile Jose Espinosa took a Greyhound bus from Miami to New York in search of a better job. He found one-sort of.

On the way north, he discovered that other Cubans were making the same trip and having the same problems-difficulty with the language and a recurring feeling of being left out.

So while working at odd jobs, Espinosa bought an old station wagon and began shuttling fellow exiles between the two cities. Business was so good that he moved up to a van, then a bus.

``In those days you did what you could to make money,`` Espinosa said.

``I didn`t get much rest, but I made extra money.``

Getting the business started, however, proved to be more difficult than he expected. Established bus lines fought him in court, and the battle dragged on for a decade, until the Interstate Commerce Commission finally granted him a license in 1978.

Now his Latin Express Service-better known as La Cubana bus-owns 13 buses and stops in West Palm Beach, Orlando, Washington, and Philadelphia as well as in the New Jersey/New York area.

His buses are always full, and during the peak seasons of summer and Christmas, he rents a dozen more to accommodate the demand. He expects the company to gross more than $3 million this year.